


Space Dad (and other stories)

by Raberba girl (Raberba_girl)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Platonic Love, Platonic Relationships, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-07-27 01:28:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7598137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raberba_girl/pseuds/Raberba%20girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>New story: Team Voltron has been hopelessly separated. Lance & Hunk are captured by aliens and told to either sing or die.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Space Dad

Space Dad

(rough draft)

A Voltron: Legendary Defender fanfic by Raberba girl

 

Summary: Their own fathers are hopelessly far away. Luckily, they've got a good stand-in.

 

o.o.o

 

"You can try it if you don't believe me!" Hunk assumed a strong stance - hands on hips, feet spread, shoulders back, head up. He grinned as Lance practically cackled with glee. The rest of Team Voltron was scattered around the lounge, talking together or working on their various projects.

 

"Hah! You're asking for it, dude!" Lance dove in, fingers wiggling.

 

Nothing happened.

 

Lance frowned and tickled harder, moving up Hunk's sides and under his armpits and across his belly, trying to get a reaction out of him. All Hunk did was smile triumphantly. "No way!" Lance gasped.

 

Pidge's eyes needed a break, so she'd been idly watching the boys, and she was intrigued enough to set down her laptop. "You're really not ticklish at _all_ , Hunk?"

 

"Nnnnope," Hunk sing-songed.

 

"Oh, come on," Lance said, now looking as determined as if he was trying to break into a Galra base. "You get motion sick before the vehicle even starts moving! You cry at commercials with baby animals in them! You _have_ to be ticklish!" He tried again, with the only result being that Hunk yawned. "NO WAY. Coran, help me!"

 

"Er - I would if I had any idea what you're trying to do," the Altean said, looking curious and perplexed.

 

Lance finally gave up with a groan, collapsing back on the couch in a dramatic sprawl. "Awww, you're no fun, Hunk."

 

"Score one for Yellow!" Hunk cheered, holding up his hand for Pidge to high-five him.

 

Disgruntled, Lance glanced around the room. His eyes lit up when they landed on Keith, who was reading a computer printout. "I bet _Keith_ is ticklish," Lance purred, moving like a cat about to pounce.

 

Keith's head shot up, and he threw himself backward with such a panicked-sounding "No!" that Lance shrieked with glee even before he'd reached him.

 

"NO! LANCE! STOP!"

 

"Lance, stop," Shiro said wearily from across the room.

 

"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

 

"Wow, Keith really _is_ ticklish," Hunk said, as he and Pidge watched in mild astonishment.

 

"Is that some form of torture you humans practice on your Earth?" Coran asked, puzzled but getting up to put a stop to it.

 

Keith, writhing on the floor as Lance cackled manically over him, didn't notice. "DAD, HELP!" he screamed desperately.

 

Everything stopped. Keith opened his eyes and found himself reaching toward Shiro, who looked a little surprised.

 

"Did you...just call Shiro _Dad_?" Lance said incredulously.

 

Keith's face immediately went hot. "No."

 

"You did call him Dad!" Pidge laughed.

 

"Awww, yeah, Shiro _is_ like our dad," Hunk said, going over to hug Shiro. "Like, our dad in space! Our space dad."

 

Lance fell over laughing, and Shiro, blushing a little himself, waved his hand and mumbled something. Keith took the opportunity to jerk away from Lance and march out of the lounge in a huff.

 

That was not the end of it. That very same evening, as they were all eating dinner, Lance looked over at Shiro mischievously and said, "Hey, _Dad_ , can you pass me the blue goo?"

 

"Sure," Shiro said absently, picking up the bowl to hand over. Then he paused when he realized what he had responded to, and Lance burst into laughter.

 

"This is totally gonna be a thing now," Hunk said in delight.

 

"What thing?" Allura asked. She hadn't been present during the tickling incident.

 

"Oh, well, you see," Coran said, going into Super-Long Story Mode, "earlier today, Lance was subjecting Keith to some form of alien torture unique to their planet--"

 

"You did _what_ to your fellow paladin?!"

 

"It wasn't torture! Look, I'll do it to Hunk; stand up, dude."

 

"Not when I'm eating, man!"

 

o.o.o.o.o

 

It was hard to say when it went from a joke to simply being normal. Shiro good-naturedly rolled his eyes whenever Lance gave him that mischievous look and said things like, "Hey, _Dad_ , what sort of training are we doing today?" or "No problem, _Dad_ will take care of that!" But then it turned into things like a diffident, "Hey, Dad, can you take a look at this for me?" or a plaintive, "Daaaaaad, Keith is totally picking on me!" And that wasn't counting the way Hunk had whole-heartedly embraced Shiro as the 'space dad' of the team, and addressed him accordingly.

 

Then, in the middle of one battle, "Dad! Behind you!" Pidge shouted, and Shiro whirled just in time to block a strike from the enemy.

 

Afterward, Lance jogged down the hall from the Blue Lion's bay and called as soon as he saw Pidge, "HAH! Now you're calling him Dad, too!"

 

Pidge shrugged. "Might as well. At least until we find my real da--" She paused thoughtfully. "My _first_ dad, I mean."

 

Keith was the last holdout. Even though he was the one who had unintentionally started the whole thing, he stubbornly insisted on calling the black paladin 'Shiro' or 'Sir'...until one day, when Shiro finished oiling his prosthetic and Keith, who had been waiting for the past few minutes, said awkwardly, "Hey...Dad...could we do a training session together this afternoon?"

 

"Sure thing, Keith."

 

Keith looked even more agitated at Shiro's easy acceptance of the name. "I'm NOT calling you that when Lance is around."

 

"That's fine. I don't mind either 'Shiro' or 'Dad,' whichever one you're more comfortable with."

 

"It's just," Keith burst out, "I _hate_ my real father, and I thought I never needed him except now there's _you_ and--! And...!"

 

Shiro gently clapped his shoulder. "I care about you, Keith. I can be whatever you need me to be, whenever you need me to be it."

 

"Right now, I need you to be my sparring partner," Keith said firmly. "That's _it_."

 

"Then I'll see you there in a few ticks, all right?" Keith nodded and marched away, satisfied, as Shiro smiled and cleaned up the workspace he'd been using.

 

o.o.o.o.o

 

It had been a devastating battle. Now that the terrifyingly strong rage had faded, Shiro felt a little sick about the things he had done to save his team, and even more sick about what he couldn't _remember_ doing while he'd been in the grip of that rage.

 

_'If that's what it took to save them, than it was worth it. No matter what I have to stoop to, no matter what I have to become to keep them safe...it was...worth it.'_

 

Shiro couldn't sleep. He had nightmares and insomnia even at the best of times; now, traumatized by that hellish battle, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep at _all_ that night. He had promised Coran he would try, but he'd tried and it hadn't worked, so now he was going to go do what he'd wanted to do all along: check on his children. ...His teammates. _'Who am I kidding.'_ His precious, wounded children.

 

Keith had locked his door, and had not been seen for hours. Shiro managed to get inside with the help of the mice, and felt a jolt of horrified shock when he found the bed empty, the sheets as smooth and undisturbed as if Keith had never laid down on it. Shiro was just about to burst back into the corridor again, shouting that Keith had escaped or run away or DISAPPEARED, HOW COULD HE DISAPPEAR RIGHT OFF THE SHIP, THEY HAD _SEEN HIM_ , HAD HE TRANS--?!

 

He noticed the mice in time, nosing around the closet door. Shiro's heart was pounding when he went to open it, and words could not describe the relief he felt when he saw Keith curled up inside. "Keith."

 

The young man curled up even tighter.

 

"Hey." Shiro's voice was gentle as the terror drained out of him. He crouched and set a hand on Keith's back. "Hey, buddy. What are you doing holed up in here?"

 

"You all should have killed me," Keith said, muffled.

 

"The paladins of Voltron don't kill their teammates," Shiro said matter-of-factly as he started tugging Keith out of the closet.

 

"I'm not your teammate, I'm one of _them_ , I'm your ENEMY, how stupid and crazy do you have to be to have your ENEMY right there in your sights and _not shoot him_ \--!"

 

"You're very tired, Keith," Shiro said, steering him toward the bed. "You need to sleep."

 

Keith burst into tears. "Aren't you _hearing_ what I'm _saying_?" he sobbed as he collapsed to sit on the bed.

 

"Keith. Look at me."

 

Keith finally met his eyes, with such a despairing expression that Shiro's heart ached for him all over again.

 

"We don't care who your biological parents were," Shiro said, "and we don't care what you did in the past or what color your skin is. _Or_ what color your fur is, for that matter." Keith's face crumpled, but Shiro went on calmly. "You are one of us, you are part of _our family_. You chose to be part of Voltron, you CHOSE to help liberate the suffering people of the universe, and _that_ , not your genes or your past, is what makes you who you are."

 

Keith's voice was very small, and now very uncertain. "I...didn't...."

 

"Listen to your dad, okay?"

 

More tears, but this time Keith leaned right into him and sobbed into his shirt. Shiro patted him on the back until he was calmer, then eased him down until his head rested on the pillow. "I have to check on the others," he said softly, "but the mice will stay with you. We'll talk tomorrow, all right, Red?"

 

Keith responded with a small, childlike sound, and relaxed slightly when one of the mice sat on his head and two of them snuggled under his chin. The remaining mouse saluted Shiro, who saluted back and then left to reassure himself that the other children were safe.

 

He was a little surprised to find Lance outside his cabin. The young man was just standing there, looking lost and distressed, a blanket clutched around his shoulders.

 

"Lance?" There was no response. Concerned, Shiro quickened his pace and set his hands on Lance's shoulders. "Lance." He shook him a little. "Lance, are you all right?"

 

Lance finally blinked. Then he looked up at Shiro, and a heartbreaking look of relief and fresh anxiety came to his face. " _Dad_."

 

"Everything's okay, Lance," Shiro said soothingly. "Go on back to bed, all right?"

 

"Hunk's okay?" Lance asked, and then the questions started spilling frantically out of him. "Pidge is okay? I didn't dream that, right? I think I _did_ dream something crazy with Keith, but he's okay, right?! Allura's--?!"

 

"Everyone is all right, Lance," Shiro said firmly, leading him inside. "I just talked to Keith. He's upset, but he's fine. We'll sort out all the other stuff tomorrow."

 

"I screwed up, Dad, I screwed up _so bad_ \--"

 

"You did great, Lance. Pidge would have died if you hadn't held your ground."

 

"I'm sorry, Dad, this whole thing is my fault, why am I so _stupid_ , and even after you _told_ me not to--!"

 

"It's okay."

 

"Blue's never gonna fly again, she'll never forgive me--!"

 

"Of course she'll fly again, and _of course_ she'll forgive you."

 

"Daaaaad!" Lance wailed in anguish as he remembered what he had risked, what he had sacrificed, what pain and destruction he had nearly caused, what pain and destruction he _had_ caused. Shiro wrapped him in his arms and held him tight.

 

Eventually, they both ended up sitting on the bed, Shiro patiently moving game pieces across a board as Lance rambled forlornly between moves, "...I mean, I guess some things make sense now, like he was always able to just _waltz_ into Galra computers, you know, should have seen it coming, I mean he's still _Keith_ , I hope he still likes me, except he never liked me even before, but you know that was kinda a little bit my fault too, except he was _funny_ and it was _sad_ when he left and then we went there and he did _that_ except he was really helping us but I said all those horrible things to him and now I wish I could take them all back and he hates meeeeee...!"

 

"I think Keith hates himself more than anything right now," Shiro murmured. Then, breaking through Lance's distraught rambling, "Lance. Just apologize when you see him again."

 

Lance looked startlingly hopeful, like a kid. "You think that's all it will take?!"

 

"I think Keith needs reassurance that we all still care about him, and you want to reassure him that you're still his friend despite everything that happened. Those two things seem like they go well together, don't you think?"

 

Once Lance was settled, snuggled in a pile of blankets and looking as relieved as a child who had just been un-grounded, Shiro made his way to Pidge's room. He entered cautiously, hoping she wasn't sleeping in her underwear or something, and found her fully-dressed and working on her laptop.

 

"Pidge," he scolded mildly, turning on the light, "you shouldn't be staring at a computer screen in the dark. When was the last time you looked up?"

 

She turned slowly toward him. "Dad," she said bleakly.

 

"Just wanted to see how you're doing, kiddo."

 

"I'm doing lousy," she said in a flat voice.

 

He came and put his arms around her. She sat stiffly, but then raised her hand to rest on his arm. Gradually, she started shaking. "I'm no soldier."

 

"You did great, Pidge."

 

"I nearly got us all _killed_ ," she snarled, and jerked away from him. "I'm supposed to be sooooo smart, but then I go disobeying orders and it's not like they were stupid orders, you were trying to keep us safe, you were trying to _give us a good plan_ , but then there I go agreeing with _Lance_ of all people and now Hunk's almost _dead_ \--!"

 

"Hunk will be fine," Shiro said, a little more forcefully than necessary. He still couldn't forget the way his heart had stopped when he'd seen Hunk's blood-spattered body collapsing back into Keith's arms. "He's in a magic healing pod."

 

"It's not magic," she said in a detached voice that was at odds with the roiling pain in her eyes. "This isn't some fairy tale you can dupe your idiot little kids with."

 

Shiro nudged her shoulder. "Magic, science, pseudo-science that even the Alteans can't really explain...whatever it is, it works. And none of my kids are idiots. It's true that you made some mistakes - ALL of us did. But what's important is that you all _recognized_ what you did wrong, and you recovered brilliantly. No one but you could have gotten us all out of there alive, you know."

 

"I'm the one who nearly got us all _killed_ , so it's not like I earned any brownie points!"

 

Shiro put his arm around her again. "You were so brave. You kept such a cool head. You faced down the emperor himself like you were a queen and he was an insect."

 

"I'm not the one who got us out of there alive," she sobbed, finally breaking down. " _You_ did, Dad! And Allura, nearly killing herself trying to get us out of range when they were so close on our heels for _so long_. You were there every step of the way in that fortress, doing everything you could to protect us; you turned into a friggin' berserk monster beast to save Hunk and Keith. And there _I_ was, only thinking about _myself_ the whole time until the very last minute when I realized just how much danger I'd dragged you all into...!"

 

Shiro was shuddering a little, reliving the memory again of what he had done. He wished that Pidge hadn't brought it up, but she was crying and he had to comfort her and it comforted him a little, too, to feel how trusting and innocent she was in his arms, like he _was_ still worthy of someone's trust, like he _wasn't_ sullied by all the fresh blood on his hands.

 

"I don't care who forgives me," Pidge finally whispered. "I can't forgive myself."

 

"We still want you. Brave and beautiful, broken and dark, flawed and human...we want _all_ of you, Katie."

 

"Shut up, Dad," she sobbed in a burst of fresh tears, but she finally put her arms around his neck to return the hug, and he held her until she fell asleep. He carefully tucked her into bed, set her folded glasses on the nightstand, closed her laptop, and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before he left.

 

o.o.o.o.o

 

Allura respected Shiro as an equal, and didn't look _up_ to him the way the humans did; Shiro never really thought of her as his child the way he semi-secretly did the others. But she _was_ precious to him, she _was_ part of this little family that had been brought together in space, and she had been hurt just as much as the rest of them had.

 

Shiro figured it was probably breaking a million rules to enter the princess's bedchamber while she slept, but he couldn't stop thinking of the blank look in her eyes when she'd collapsed at the control panel, the terrible pallor of her skin, how limp and weak she'd been after expending so very much of her energy to secure their escape....

 

No alarms went off when he very cautiously edged open the door; no royal bodyguard droids leaped out with weapons raised. Allura lay as still as death in her bed, and Shiro felt apprehensive and anxious all the way up until he touched her neck and detected a faint pulse. He exhaled in relief that the last of her life hadn't slipped away when no one was watching. "See, Allura?" he murmured. "You didn't fail us. You came through when we needed you most, _and_ you survived what no Altean has ever survived before."

 

He didn't expect a response, but as he spoke, Allura let out a soft whimper. He leaned closer, and finally noticed in the darkness that her brow was furrowed, the hand on her pillow clenched into a fist. "No," she whimpered again.

 

"It's okay, Allura," he said, wondering if she was talking in her sleep.

 

"No...don't leave me...."

 

"It's just a dream."

 

She began to stir restlessly, her hand twitching, her voice more desperate. "Father, don't leave me...!"

 

Still asleep. Shiro felt uneasy about the idea of impersonating Allura's father, the king, but when she continued to call so piteously, he finally laid a hand on her brow and said, "I'm here, Allura."

 

"Father?"

 

"You did well. The paladins are safe. Rest now, Allura."

 

She gradually went still. "Stay with me...Father...."

 

"I will." He sat with her for a long time, stroking her hair, until she was finally sleeping more deeply, her body relaxed.

 

Shiro's heart was heavy as he made his way toward the cryo-pod room. A small part of him hoped, ridiculously, that Hunk would be healed by now, but no matter how much he scolded himself, his hope didn't die until he was standing in front of the pod, staring at Hunk's battered, unmoving body.

 

Shiro laid a hand on the surface of the pod. "Hunk...you did so great, buddy, I'm so proud of you...." Of course there was no response.

 

Shiro sat there, keeping vigil for about an hour. In the silence, he had nothing to do but think things he did not want to think, and remember things he did not want to remember.

 

_Pidge's horrified face, backing away from him as he lurched down the corridor toward her with blood dripping from his hands...._

_Keith's expression of betrayal...._

_Lance's terror...._

_Hunk's sadness...._

 

Shiro pressed his fists against his eyes, but it didn't help for long.

 

_Blue eyes, gold eyes; screams; DIE; blazing violet light, hurts, it won't stop; their faces as they disappear into the black void; monster, I'm a monster...._

 

At last, footsteps approached, and a hand came to rest on Shiro's shoulder. "Shiro?"

 

"Coran." Shiro wiped his eyes. "Sorry."

 

"Nothing to apologize for, my boy," the Altean said in his usual chipper tone. He took a seat beside Shiro, surveying the pod in front of them. "I reckon it'll only take another half day or so, maybe just a _smidge_ more. Then he'll be right as rain, you'll see! Well, physically, at least. But not to worry! Our Hunk is a resilient sort. He'll be making us all smile again in no time!"

 

"Mm."

 

Coran peered closely at him. "Is something wrong, Shiro? Aside from the obvious, of course."

 

"...Space dad," Shiro finally muttered.

 

"Eh?"

 

Shiro drew in a shaky breath, then exhaled it. "All of them look up to me. All of them depend on me. I can't...I want _so much_ to take care of them, to keep them all safe. But...sometimes I'm not good enough, Coran. And I don't know how to tell them that without hurting them. Sometimes they look at me with such trust in their eyes, and I can't stand it because they don't know how close I am to failing them. They don't even remember how many times I _have_ failed them. I...." Feeling disgusted with himself, he covered his eyes with one hand and barked out, "Sometimes I don't want to be the dad."

 

There it was. How cowardly was it to shy away from responsibility? How weak was it to want to be taken care of for a change, for someone to pat _him_ on the head and tell _him_ that he was forgiven and everything was going to be all right?

 

"Well, you don't _always_ have to be their father figure," Coran said.

 

The casualness of it took Shiro by surprise. He tried to smile a little. "So we should take turns, huh?" It was a joke, and his smile grew a little more genuine as he imagined Lance or Pidge or even Keith trying to be the 'space dad' for a day. _'I bet Hunk could do it, though,'_ he mused idly.

 

"What I mean is, we're all a team, Shiro. Or a family, if you will. All teams need a leader, as do all families. But you were never meant to do _everything_ , Shiro. Sometimes you need to let your family take care of you, too."

 

"...Voltron was never meant to be piloted by one person. It was _designed_ to be made of five pilots all working together, supporting each other and playing to each person's strengths."

 

"Yes, exactly!"

 

Shiro scratched at the back of his head. "They're still so young, though. What am I supposed to do when I see them floundering, just let them get hurt without raising a hand to help them or stop them?"

 

"They're all young, but they _are_ soldiers, Shiro. They've had too much experience by now to be anything else. And they're not _that_ young, either. It's true - sometimes, as the eldest paladin and the leader, you need to lend a guiding hand. Yet at other times, it's best to let them go about their business of growing up." Coran winked. "Especially when you're tired."

 

"I _am_ tired," Shiro admitted. He groaned. "I'm _so tired_!"

 

"It will pass. You just need--"

 

"I can't sleep, Coran," Shiro said sharply. "Sleeping is worse than anything I feel when I'm awake."

 

"I was going to say, you just need some time. And a nice cup of that 'coffee' stuff. And maybe a pat on the head." Coran patted Shiro on the head.

 

It felt nice. It felt like a gesture that said, _"Everything's going to be all right."_ Coran's smile held no judgment. What it did express was affection, and maybe even a touch of pride.

 

Shiro stood up and started to move past the cryo-pod. "Maybe I will go get some coffee."

 

"That's the spirit! Actually, I think I'll join you."

 

"Coran?"

 

"Yes?"

 

Shiro smiled. "Thanks for the pep talk...'Tousan."

 

Coran smiled back. "Any time, son."

 

o.o.o

 

Author's Notes: "'Tousan" is Japanese for "Dad." (Short for "Otousan." VLD-Shiro is canonically Japanese, judging by his full name.) And Coran knows what it means because everyone in VLD magically understands all the languages in the universe. X'D

 

(I like the Galra-Keith headcanon. I don't know if I'll adopt it whole-heartedly, but I'm vaguely borrowing it for this fic because it's useful.)

 

I'm still firmly nestled in the How to Train Your Dragon fandom (and still working on _Carried Off_ whenever I get a chance!), but my newest sub-phase is _Voltron: Legendary Defender_. I like the show so much, and it's been so long since I posted anything (AGAIN! What is with this?! I used to go no more than a couple of weeks between updates! D8), that I wanted to write _something_ for VLD. I couldn't think of any ideas at first, but this morning my friend Medli sent me a link that included prompts. I played with this plot bunny during my shift at work, and started writing it this evening as soon as I came home. X3

 

I have _no idea_ if I'll write some or all of the other prompts, or if _Space Dad_ will be my sole token fic for VLD, but either way, I'm glad I got the chance to write this. :)


	2. Message Center

Message Center

(rough draft)

A Voltron: Legendary Defender fanfic by Raberba girl

 

Summary: Pidge inadvertently starts a new trend when it comes to leaving messages for Shiro.

 

A/N: This one-shot has no relation to the last one. I've simply found over the years that I prefer to keep my fanfiction grouped together rather than scattered all over my profile, so this is where I'll be posting my canon-based VLD fanfiction.

 

**Much thanks to Medli45 for the plot bunny! :D**

 

o.o.o

 

Pidge was so excited about the new program she'd just finished that she was actually in the process of running down the corridor, looking for Shiro, before she remembered that he was out on a mission with Hunk. "NO!" Pidge shouted. For a moment, she dithered in frustration, her excitement finding no release. Then she gritted her teeth, whirled around, raced straight back to the lab, and threw herself into the next project on her To Do List. She needed something to take her mind off the impatient anticipation or she would go crazy.

 

The Black and Yellow Lions returned about an hour later. Shiro was startled to exit his Lion, pass into the corridor that linked Black's hangar to the rest of the ship, and find Pidge waiting _right there_ for him. "Pidge!"

 

"Shiro!"

 

"What's up?"

 

She seized him and started pulling him downward so she could reach his helmet. "I _finally finished_ , let me get this installed and then we can test it--"

 

"Pidge," he said, gently tugging free so he could step back, "Hunk and I _just got home_. I look forward to seeing your work, but I really, really need a nap first."

 

"Noooooo, I've been waitiiiiing!"

 

"I'm sorry," he apologized, even as he considered maybe forcing himself through the fatigue for Pidge's sake.... But, no, he wanted to see what she'd made when he was fresh and alert, not dead on his feet and likely to forget it all by the time she finished explaining. "Just a couple of hours. Please, Pidge?"

 

"Come find me as soon as you wake up! AS SOON AS YOU WAKE UP!"

 

"Yes, yes, I will, I promise," he said soothingly.

 

Two hours later, Shiro dutifully awakened, sat up, and frowned at the sound of paper rustling very close by. He blinked at his metal arm, which had a sheet of paper attached to it with a magnet.

 

_GO TO THE LAB. RIGHT NOW, PLEASE. NOW._

 

Shiro smiled a little, pulled the note off his arm, and went in search of Pidge, ready to praise and admire her new program.

 

A few days later, Coran ran tests on all the paladins to assess their physical health. When the results were ready, he called them all into a meeting room to give feedback, and discovered that only four humans were present.

 

"Shiro's sleeping," Keith explained.

 

"He didn't sleep well at all last night," Hunk elaborated, "so we thought we should let him rest while he has the chance."

 

"Hmmm."

 

"It's not like it's a big emergency," Lance pointed out. "You can just tell him his results when he wakes up, right?"

 

"Yes, I suppose that's true."

 

"Magnet it to his arm," Pidge suggested. "So that neither of you forget."

 

"Very well, then!"

 

When Shiro woke up, it was to find two pages of test results stuck to his arm, including a handwritten note from Coran at the bottom: _Good health overall, but your vitamin D levels are rather low. Eat more fish! =)_

 

Shiro honestly did intend to eat more fish that week, but dealing with more battles than usual and an unexpected power failure meant that he never got to carry out his intentions. He eventually woke up to find another paper attached to his arm, this one a recipe in Hunk's handwriting for a meal rich in vitamin D. "What am I, a refrigerator?" Shiro chuckled, detaching the paper and smiling at the evidence that people were thinking about him. ...And worrying about him, so he should probably go to the kitchen and do something about that.

 

A few days later, everyone was gathered for another meeting, this time in the master control room. Coran, already knowing the information, was calculating the ship's new course as Allura lectured. Keith was standing at attention; Pidge was hunched over her computer, typing quickly (presumably recording or reacting to Allura's speech); Hunk was sitting backward in a chair, regarding Allura seriously. Shiro had been sitting at one of the terminals when Allura called for their attention, and had swiveled in his seat to face her. Beside him, Lance leaned on his shoulder, then sat on the floor next to him as the talking continued.

 

"Remember, let them make the first move. We don't want to be antagonizing these people over a simple misunderstanding...."

 

Eventually, Lance tugged on Shiro's arm. Shiro glanced down at him, but Lance wasn't trying to get his attention - he was pulling small magnets out of his jacket pockets, sticking them to Shiro's arm one by one. They made little clicking sounds with each contact.

 

"... _don't_ shake their hands, I know it's a very common Earth ritual, but you all will have to resist the temptation...."

 

 _Click. Click. Click._ Lance's magnets were forming patterns.

 

 _'He's bored,'_ Shiro realized. _'This is his version of doodling.'_ The corner of his mouth quirked. _'By sticking magnets to my arm?'_

_Click. Click. Click._

_'How many magnets does he_ have _, anyway?!'_

 

"...I will take the first bite, then Shiro, then Coran--" _Click. Click._ Allura broke off and frowned at the nearest computer for a moment. Then she blinked and resumed her train of thought. "To demonstrate the order of authority as they perceive it. The rest of you--"

 

_Click. Click. Click._

 

"--will have to decide on an arrangement-- _What is that noise_?"

 

There was a long moment of silence. "What noise?" Lance finally said, his tone so innocent that Shiro had to stifle a laugh. Because Lance was sitting on the floor, watching Allura with only occasional glances at his work, his discreet movements had been overlooked.

 

Allura glared. "*ahem* As I was saying. The rest of you will have to...."

 

_Click. Click. Click._

 

"...can disregard Coran's height-- THAT NOISE."

 

More silence. Lance had prudently hidden his handful of magnets behind his back as soon as Allura paused again, and now _everyone_ was looking around in confusion.

 

Hunk was the first one to notice, though even he didn't quite connect what he was seeing to the mysterious noise. "Shiro? What happened to your arm?"

 

"What arm?" Shiro said innocently, holding up his now beautifully-patterned prosthetic. Lance burst into laughter.

 

Blue paladin's boredom aside, Shiro's arm really was starting to become a personal message center. Once he woke up to a note written in Allura's graceful cursive, _"Please meet with Coran and me on the bridge when you get a chance."_ Another time, he woke up to a note scrawled from Keith: _"Went down to the planet. Be back soon; don't tell the others."_ Since the planet they were currently orbiting was full of Galra, Shiro _did_ alert the others, and ended up leading a much-needed rescue mission to get Keith back.

 

"I told you not to tell the others!"

 

"It's a good thing I _did_ tell the others!"

 

"But you didn't know that when I left the note!"

 

One day, Lance was bored and homesick. "...Grandma always gave the kids new clothes for the Posadas, we'd all make piñatas and Tía Alma would-- Wait a minute, we've been flying around with aliens for so long, we wouldn't even notice if Christmas was coming up! What space day is today?!"

 

"Well," Coran said, "that would depend on the effects of relativity, the time and distance we've traveled--"

 

Lance clapped his hands. "Space nerds, assemble! Time for some CALCULATIONS!"

 

Eventually, they figured out what day and year it was at that exact moment back on Earth. Shiro looked over their shoulders at the computer screen in mild curiosity. "Oh - tomorrow's my birthday," he realized.

 

He was not prepared for all the younger paladins to suddenly turn around and stare at him. "Tomorrow's your BIRTHDAY?!"

 

"I mean-- Well, yes, but it's not a big deal," he said, taken aback.

 

"OH MY GOSH IT'S SHIRO'S BIRTHDAY."

 

"WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING FOR SHIRO'S BIRTHDAY!"

 

Shiro waved his hands as if warding them off. "No, really, it's okay, I wouldn't even have remembered if I hadn't seen the date on the screen!"

 

Of course no one listened. Shiro didn't actually mind when they all started enthusiastically planning and crafting and decorating and baking, it was just that he felt a little embarrassed to suddenly be at the center of attention for something so trivial. But they _were_ still very young, and they _were_ under a lot of stress, it was probably a good thing to let them have something to look forward to and enjoy....

 

The next morning, Shiro woke up to find his arm _covered_ with magnets attaching all the birthday cards and messages his 'space family' had left him.

 

From Keith, a plain but carefully written note: _Happy Birthday Shiro_

 

From Pidge, a card with abstract computer graphic art: _Happy birthday, Dad!_

 

From Lance, a riot of color and crudely-drawn figures of the six of them group-hugging Shiro: _HAPPY BIRTHDAY UR SO OLD LOL_

 

From Hunk, accompanied by plentiful illustrations of stars, hearts, and smiley faces: _Happy birthday, Space Dad!_

 

From Allura, a gold certificate that had clearly been modified from a certificate of promotion: _Today's mission: Enjoy the celebrations!_

From Coran, in exquisite calligraphy: _Congratulations on the anniversary of your birth!_

 

Shiro felt himself smiling like a fool as he very carefully removed the magnets and assembled all the birthday wishes on his bedside table. Then he left to go find the others and the party they'd put so much effort and love into preparing for him.

 

That night, Shiro felt so content that he only had to lie in bed for about half an hour before getting drowsy. Around that time, the door opened and someone came padding into his room. Since the someone had non-threatening body language and was of a familiar size, Shiro guessed who it was before feeling even a moment of alarm. "What's up, Pidge?" he asked sleepily.

 

"Nothing much; there's no rush."

 

Shiro watched in confusion as she picked up his metal arm and magneted a note to it. "Pidge...I'm awake."

 

"I know. But like I said, there's no rush; I just didn't want to forget." She leaned down to smack her lips against his forehead in a businesslike kiss. "Get some sleep, Shiro." She padded back out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.

 

Shiro squinted at the paper on his arm, but it was too dark to make out the letters. For a minute, he debated whether to get up and turn on the light and read the note properly...then decided that Pidge really would have dragged him out of bed if it was urgent, and that he should take advantage of this rare instance of actually feeling like he could get to sleep easily for a change. He closed his eyes and drifted off.

 

o.o.o

 

Author's Notes: I wanted to contribute more R.girl-ish fics to this fandom, because it looks like true gen fics are sorely needed here. (Some people...do not understand what the word "platonic" means. *sweatdrop*) Was having trouble with inspiration, though (what else is new X'D), so I asked my friend Medli45, who is always a brilliant fountain of ideas~ She came up with a list for me, and this one where the team starts magneting notes to Shiro's prosthetic was the first one I finished. I'm gonna try to do at least one or two more vignettes from the list at some point.


	3. Reach Across the Stars

Reach Across the Stars

(rough draft)

A Voltron: Legendary Defender fanfic by Raberba girl

 

_Enormous thanks to Medli45 for helping me so much with this story!_

 

Summary: Team Voltron has been hopelessly separated. Lance & Hunk are captured by aliens and told to either sing or die.

 

A/N: Takes place soon after season 1 (I wrote this before season 2 came out).

 

**Credits are listed at the end.**

 

***EDIT* I had to censor out some of the lyrics, but it's not nearly as bad as it is on FFN.**

 

o.o.o

 

When Hunk came to, he found himself listing heavily to the side, held in his seat only by the straps. He had to straighten slowly because it _hurt_ , as if he'd been in the same uncomfortable position for a very long time. "What...happened...?"

 

Yellow's display was dark, but when Hunk apprehensively touched a key, the screen lit up, flickering only slightly, to show what was outside. Hunk stared out at the view of an unfamiliar forest.

 

And the tip of Blue's tail flopped on the ground. "Lance!" Hunk struggled to get disentangled from the straps, signaled to Yellow to open the hatch, and stumbled out onto solid ground. The air was warm and humid, and he began to sweat almost immediately as he jogged over to the motionless Blue Lion. "Lance!" He banged on Blue's muzzle.

 

Nothing happened. Not knowing what else to do, Hunk kept at it, wondering how in the world he'd be able to get into the cockpit without the Lion's cooperation. After a while, though, Blue's eyes flashed to life. The cameras inside focused on Hunk for a long moment. Then the Lion straightened from a haphazard sprawl into a dignified crouch and opened its mouth to allow Hunk inside.

 

"Lance!" Hunk found the Blue paladin slumped in the pilot's seat, unconscious, just as Hunk himself had been earlier. "Lance, Laaaaance, wake up, buddy...."

 

Hunk muttered anxiously as he worked, undoing the straps, lifting his friend's body in his arms, and carrying him out into the forest. He set Lance down gently and pulled off his helmet, smoothing the hair away from his eyes. "Lance...come on, wake up...."

 

By the time Lance opened his eyes about half an hour later, Hunk had fashioned a pillow for him out of leaves, scavenged some promising-looking nuts and berries, and had climbed up as high as he could to take a look around. It was all just forest as far as the eye could see, except in the southwest where there were a couple of very distant mountains.

 

"Mom," Lance groaned.

 

Hunk grinned in relief and set a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry, buddy. Just me."

 

There was the briefest flash of disappointment in Lance's eyes before he closed them again and snuggled into Hunk. "Mooommm, five more minutes," he whined playfully.

 

"Ha ha."

 

Lance suddenly shot upright, then groaned and held his head. " _Ow_."

 

"Take it easy. Here, I found some water." Hunk held out a vaguely cup-shaped piece of metal he'd found inside Yellow.

 

"Thanks...." Lance sipped at it, then squinted around. "Where are the others? Did the wormhole _blow up_??"

 

"I don't know," Hunk said.

 

"Where are the others?!"

 

Hunk felt like crying as he held Lance's shoulder and said again, very gently, "I don't know."

 

Lance stared at him for a minute. Then he kind of fell into Hunk's side and curled in close, nursing the 'cup' of water like a small child. "This sucks."

 

"We'll find them," Hunk said soothingly. "We still have Yellow and Blue. All we need to do is just...uh...."

 

"Yup," Lance said bleakly.

 

"At least we're still together, right?"

 

Lance smiled, but before he could reply, two aliens carrying spears stepped out of the trees.

 

"Aaahhh!"

 

o.o.o.o.o

 

Shiro woke up to the sound of a blaring alarm and thuds of gunfire hitting Black's exterior. He gasped and straightened in his seat, only distantly registering the pain in his side as he reached to run his hands over the control panel.

 

The light outside was dim, and the air was full of dust. The ground was dry and lifeless, with a trench gouged into it about five Lion steps away. People were in the trench, shooting at Black.

 

"Rear view," Shiro commanded. He didn't see any heavy artillery in front of him, and ordinary gunfire wouldn't make a dent in his Lion's plating. Black obediently opened a new display, showing that there was literally nothing to be seen behind them except for more dusty wasteland. "Close view."

 

Shiro returned his attention to the trench full of shooters. Of course they thought he was some kind of enemy; he'd done nothing to reassure them. He reached for the comm controls and set them so that his voice would be broadcast outside. "Attention: my name is Takashi Shirogane." The shooting paused warily. "I am the Black paladin of Voltron. I come in peace. Repeat: I mean you no harm."

 

There was a long pause. Then someone shouted to him, and Black amplified the voice so that Shiro could hear it. _"Exit your craft at once and surrender to us, or we will destroy you!"_

 

"...I'm not sure surrender would be in my best interests."

 

The standoff continued for several more minutes, until Shiro realized that the soldiers were unwilling to compromise or trust him at _all_. He decided that it would probably be best for him to simply fly away, so he did.

 

Once he was alone, Shiro had time to think about his situation. The last thing he remembered was escaping the Galra through a wormhole, but then something going wrong and Black being violently flung away from the others. Shiro felt cold as he realized how _very_ alone he was.

 

He had no idea where he was now, and no idea how to get back to his team...not to mention the fact that he was injured and thirsty and hungry. "This is a mess," he muttered. He unbuckled himself from the seat so that he could take an inventory of supplies.

 

Soon after becoming a paladin, Shiro had noticed the small storage compartments in his Lion and had filled them for just such an emergency as this. But Black wasn't really designed for long-term use; it was meant to be used in individual battles. Shiro's supplies were for a true emergency - Black was built on the assumption that it would be cared for in between battles, not sustaining a living occupant over a long period of time.

 

"Two days' worth of food and water," Shiro noted unhappily, though he could make it last for a week or two with severe rationing. "A change of clothes and a first-aid kit. A knife and a laser pistol. A spare wrist-comm and some energy packs. That's it, huh." He sighed and patted the wall beside him. "I guess we'll just have to make do, hm?"

 

What worried him the most was his complete lack of a long-term plan. After he cleaned and bandaged his wound, he would be all right for at least a couple of days. Some fiddling with the navigation system managed to pull up information on his current location. But how in the world could he ever possibly find out where the others were? What was he supposed to do when the only options were to wait on this planet until _maybe_ they managed to find him, or head blindly out into space, where he'd probably die?

 

 _'Am I stuck here, alone, forever?'_ he wondered, feeling sick. _'Am I going to be completely useless unless Zarkon happens to decide to attack here? I have no chance of beating him without Voltron, but at least I'll go down fighting...at which point he'll have the Black Lion, ready to use it against the others when he finds them.'_ That is, if Black didn't simply expel Shiro and ally itself with Zarkon right from the get-go, the way it had during that last terrible battle. "That really hurt me, you know," Shiro whispered. He wasn't expecting any sort of response, so he was startled to feel a low rumbling vibrate through the Lion like a sigh.

 

o.o.o.o.o

 

Pidge went through a series of breathing exercises until her panic finally faded. Then it occurred to her to alter Green's display so that instead of seeing the endless dark void of space her Lion was aimlessly floating in, she was seeing a peaceful view of a meadow instead. It helped a little. "Okay," she said softly. "Okay."

 

There was a whirring sound that sounded so questioning, Pidge had to smile. "I'm all right, Green."

 

The whirring faded to a faint hum.

 

"Let's see, so...where am I...." She called up a map that identified her location relative to the closest planet. "Okay...okay, so...totally lost and alone, but it's okay, if I can just make it...aaaaaaaaalllllllllll the way over there...at least I'll...survive...."

 

The panic was starting to bubble up again. She rubbed her palms hard across the armrests of the pilot seat to steady herself. "But you Lions are fast, aren't you. Blue made it from Earth to Pluto in a snap; of _course_ you and I can make it to that planet before our air runs out, right, Green?"

 

She nodded. "Yep. We can do this. Just have to input the destination coordinates." Her hands danced over the control panel. "I know you won't let me down, Green...no way I'm gonna die out here, Dad and Matt are still waiting for me...."

 

She was probably never going to see her father and brother again, or her mother. She might very well never see the other paladins again, either. If she was very, very lucky, she'd get to live out the rest of her life on an unknown alien planet, far away from everything she knew and loved. "Hold it together, Pidge...." Determined to distract herself from the grimness of her future, she opened a music playlist and turned up the volume as high as she could stand.

 

o.o.o.o.o

 

Red warned him that the atmosphere on this planet was not breathable for humans, so Keith kept his helmet sealed before venturing outside.

 

Then he wondered why he'd bothered to get out of his Lion at all. The empty wasteland looked even more depressing now that he was experiencing it firsthand rather than from his more comforting vantage point within Red. "Okay, so we'll just fly to the closest _not_ wasteland," Keith muttered, retreating back into the cockpit.

 

They flew for an alarmingly long time. As fast as Red was, they would have crossed the largest desert on Earth in a flash, but it was many long seconds before Keith reached the end of what appeared to be a continent and arrived at the edge of an ocean. The liquid looked more like grayish sludge than water. Uneasy, Keith ran an assessment and found that both the ocean and the continent stretched out farther than Red was able to calculate without launching into space. "Crap...."

 

Keith picked a different angle and set off inland again. After about an hour of searching and finding nothing but wasteland, sludgy ocean, and a couple of sites that appeared to be the last vestiges of very old ruins, Keith was forced to draw the conclusion that he had landed on a blasted wreck of a planet with no sign of life. He might not be able to sustain himself here, he had no idea where the rest of his team was, and no way to contact them. "Red...what am I gonna do...?"

 

o.o.o.o.o

 

Lance and Hunk were forced to their knees before the leader of the tribe, an imposingly tall creature with two legs like tree trunks and six arms of varying sizes, three of which were brandishing weapons. The greenish face was covered with an impressive array of tattoos; the thick mane of hair was full of metal ornaments. "What are these ugly creatures?" the being demanded.

 

"Intruders, Chief! Rejected prey of the Feline Angels!"

 

"Hmmm." The chief seized the paladins and lifted them up to get a closer look at them.

 

"Hey, hey!" Lance protested, struggling fruitlessly. His feet were dangling far above the ground. "We're good guys, I swear! Put us down!"

 

"We didn't mean to trespass or anything!" Hunk pleaded. "We don't even know where we are!"

 

"What are you?"

 

"Humans!" Lance said, at the same time Hunk answered, "Paladins!" They glanced at each other. "Human paladins."

 

"Of Voltron," Hunk added.

 

The chief narrowed her eyes. (Lance's Chick Radar was telling him that the being was female.) "The legendary Star Warrior?"

 

"Yes, yes!"

 

"We fight against the Galra Empire! ...You hate the Empire, right? Please say you hate the Empire, because it would be kind of awkward if you don't...."

 

The chief abruptly dropped the boys onto the grass. "Confine them," she ordered. "They will undergo the Outsiders' Trial tonight."

 

"Outsiders' Trial!" the rest of the tribe bellowed in unison.

 

"Wait," Lance yelped as warriors seized him and started to drag him away. "I don't like the sound of this 'trial' thing, why don't we, hey, why don't we have a nice party or something instead, that sounds much more fun, right?!"

 

"Totally more fun!" Hunk added. "A bazillion times more fun...!"

 

The two of them were shut inside a hut with a musical instrument and instructions to have their offering ready by sundown. Then they were left alone.

 

The paladins stared at each other, then at the stringed instrument in Lance's arms. "Ummm...."

 

"It's like a...space guitar?" Hunk ventured, tentatively touching the strings.

 

Lance looked relieved. "I can play guitar! Well, Earth guitar. All we have to do is play a song for them, right?"

 

"A song they like," Hunk reminded him, but Lance was unfazed.

 

"No problem! _Way_ better than making us run a gauntlet or something." Lance started plucking experimentally at the strings as Hunk watched intently. "Hm hm hmmm...hmmm-- Nope; hmmmmmm...."

 

After a while, Lance had familiarized himself enough with the instrument that he could start picking out melodies and chords. _"_ _Well, I'd like to visit the moon,"_ he sang softly under his breath, _"on a rocket ship high in the air. Yes, I'd like to visit the moon, but I don't think I'd like to live there."_

 

"Great," Hunk said, relieved. "So you can actually play this thing. What are you gonna sing?"

 

Lance grinned at him. "You mean, what are _we_ gonna sing?"

 

"Well, yeah, I guess. But we can't sing a _Sesame Street_ song to the aliens who are deciding whether we'll live or die!"

 

"We'll sing an ode of admiration to the lovely lady who leads this tribe, of course."

 

"Ah. Flattery. Got it." Hunk nodded. "Good plan, bro."

 

 _"You're insecure,"_ Lance suddenly belted out, _"don't know what for. You're turning heads when you walk through the do~or--"_

 

"Um, bit of constructive criticism here," Hunk interrupted, "but I don't think it's the smartest thing to start a flattery song with 'You're insecure.'"

 

"It's just two words! Girls can't get enough of this song. _You don't kno~ow that's what makes you beautiful--"_

 

"And if she hears those two words and goes 'Off with their heads' before we can even finish the first line of the song?"

 

"Hmmm." Lance strummed again and tried, _"Pretty woman, walkin' down the street! Pretty woman--"_

 

Hunk fell over sideways in exasperation. "Uuuuggghhhh...."

 

"What's wrong with that one?!"

 

After quite a lot of argument, they finally decided on "One Thing," which seemed flattering enough to a difficult-to-impress chieftainess without any potential insults that Hunk could see. _"I've tried playing it cool, but when I'm looking at you, I can't ever be brave, 'cause you make my heart race."_

 

"Or maybe we should try--"

 

"Hunk, sing," Lance commanded.

 

Hunk sighed, but then complied tunefully enough, _"Shot me out of the sky, you're my kryptonite...."_

 

They practiced during what was left of the afternoon, and just before the sun went down, a pair of guards came for them. Lance was all smiles, confident in his ability to win over the chief; Hunk stuck close to him, mournfully wondering if he was going to die hungry and never get to eat again. The last food they'd had were those berries shortly before their capture.

 

The entire tribe was gathered together, rather gleefully watching the prisoners as they were presented before the chief. She surveyed them grimly, no doubt already eyeballing their measurements for whatever execution method she had planned. "It is time for your offering," she said brusquely. "If it is acceptable, you will become one of us. If it is displeasing, you both will die."

 

"Not to worry, milady! Me and my buddy Hunk, here, we've got something special planned just for--!"

 

"Lance, just play the song," Hunk hissed, worried that unnecessarily building up expectations would make the 'offering' seem to fall flat.

 

Lance made a face at him, but started playing. A mildly appreciative hum rose from the audience as they saw that he knew how to handle the instrument. _"I've tried playing it cool...."_

 

They switched off at first, Lance belting out his verses with playful passion, Hunk nervously watching the chief as he sang. When she showed no sign of disapproval, and seemed to even relax after a while, Hunk relaxed as well, not realizing how much that improved his performance.

 

 _"So get out, get out, get out of my head,"_ the boys sang together, _"and fall into my arms instead. I don't, I don't, don't know what it is, but I need that one thing, and you've got that one thing."_

 

By the time they finished, the chief was actually smiling a little. "An affectionate sentiment from ones whose lives are at my mercy - unusual, but I approve. Your 'one thing' is granted: you are pardoned."

 

"YES!" Hunk cheered, then noticed the look on his friend's face and clapped his hand over Lance's mouth before he could release whatever horrible pick-up line he was undoubtedly preparing to unleash. The last thing they needed was to have their sentence reversed and get condemned to death just because Lance couldn't control himself.

 

After that came a brief ceremony where the two paladins were made honorary members of the tribe, then a party - with FOOD. Lance was grateful to finally get fed after a very hungry, stressful day, and Hunk was in heaven. They were also allowed to retrieve their Lions, settling them just outside the village where they towered over everyone like watchful guardians.

 

The people of the tribe came crowding around the paladins, curious about their strange style of music and the apparently unconventional way Lance played the instrument. Lance was soon demonstrating, playing more songs just for fun. _"O~who~ah...."_

 

"Oh, come on, man, seriously?" Hunk groaned.

 

Which only prompted Lance to break into a huge smile and ham it up. _"You know you love me! I know you care!"_

 

"Laaaaaance!"

 

_"Just shout whenever, and I'll be there~!"_

 

"Stop corrupting the poor innocent aliens, Lance, _please_...."

 

_"BABY, BABY, BABY, OOHH! LIKE, BABY, BABY, BABY, NOOO!"_

 

Hunk held up what he was currently eating. "Don't make me throw this...whatever this is at you."

 

Lance finally had mercy and switched to a song that was easier on Hunk's ears. _"Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep...dreamin' about the things that we could be...."_

 

As the night went on, things settled down. A few people were still dancing or nibbling at food, but for the most part, everyone was full, happy, a bit sleepy, and content to murmur amiably to each other.

 

Hunk, completely stuffed, was examining some leftover food, analyzing the texture and taste so that he'd know how to use it in his own cooking if the opportunity ever arose. Lance was leaning against his back, strumming at the instrument in his hands off and on, his eyes distant. He began a song that he'd already sung earlier, but instead of the cheeky, flirtatious way he'd done it before, it sounded softer now, more like a call. _"Do you hear me? I'm talking to you across the water, across the deep blue ocean...[. . .]...."_

 

Earlier, Hunk had gotten roped into singing the girl's half of the duet, but now he was sensing something different in the song. He found himself singing in that same soft, aching way, _"I hear you in my dreams, I feel your whisper across the sea. I keep you with me in my heart...."_

 

No one noticed that the eyes of the Lions had started to glow.

 

The music trailed off for a minute. Then Lance abruptly sat up straight, and he struck the opening chords of a new song in a determined sort of way. _"Take one step and make it count. [. . .]...."_

 

The Blue Lion's paladin was calling. So Blue called, too, and Yellow's silent voice joined hers. Below them, their paladins and the small creatures of this planet continued on obliviously as the cries of the Lions arced out across space.

 

_"I'm sending out a searchlight...shine it out until I find you...."_

 

o.o.o.o.o

 

Shiro, caked in mud at the bottom of a trench, clutched his gun and tried to keep himself awake. He'd been here for hours with the rest of this strange army, exchanging his help for some supplies. This was Day 4 of his life as a soldier fighting for a cause he didn't even know. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out on this planet; at the rate they were demanding things of him, he seemed to be well on his way to indentured servitude.

 

There had been a lull for the past fifteen minutes or so. Most of the soldiers were taking the opportunity to snatch some much-needed sleep, but Shiro had been one of those designated to stay alert during this shift. He couldn't let himself succumb to the weariness.

 

_[. . .]...._

 

A song was drifting through his mind, along with something like the echo of Black's purr. Shiro found his lips forming words, the melody rising softly in his voice. _"[. . .]...."_ He paused. Then decided he'd rather sing than have nothing to think about but misery. _"I'm sending out a searchlight; shine it out until I find you...."_

 

o.o.o.o.o

 

When Pidge was working, she was often focusing so hard that she didn't even hear a lot of the songs on her playlist.

 

She blinked. It took her a few seconds to come to the realization that she had no memory of listening to the last seven songs on the list, and that the song that was currently running through her mind was totally different than the one which was actually playing. Pidge hit the pause button.

 

She quickly decided that she might as well humor the earworm, so she found the song she couldn't get out of her head and set it on Repeat, figuring she could just switch back to the playlist whenever she got tired of hearing the same song over and over again.

 

_Take one step and make it count._

 

The edges of Green's display echoed with visuals that matched the music, as if the Lion itself approved of the song.

 

Pidge barely noticed. Unconsciously, she started to hum along; by the third or fourth repetition, she was outright singing. _"[. . .]...."_

 

o.o.o.o.o

 

Keith was tired. He'd spent all afternoon scavenging through one of the ruins. The place was mostly buried, but he'd managed to find and break into a storeroom, where there were some haphazardly scattered supplies. Some of the seals were broken, but some were miraculously still intact. These he opened, running scans on them until he found a package of preserved food that hopefully wouldn't make him too sick to eat.

 

He was now lying on Red's head, staring up at the stars and trying to decide if he should take his chances out there in the deep void. He was probably going to die either way - it would be better to perish searching for his friends than wasting away here in this godforsaken little corner of the universe, wouldn't it?

 

Because of where he was lying, he didn't see Red's eyes begin to glow softly.

 

_[. . .]...._

 

He couldn't get that song out of his head. He'd never even heard the song before, yet it was playing over and over in his mind as if he'd written it himself. _"Like a fallen empire,"_ he finally sang aloud, giving in, _"I will rise again...take one step and make it count...."_

 

His small voice sounded so pathetic in this vast emptiness. It scared him. He sat up and shouted at the sky, _"I'm sending out a searchlight! Shine it out until I find you...!"_

 

o.o.o.o.o

 

Allura had cried. The horror of losing her paladins and the hopelessness of the situation had been too great, and she had wept for them and for the panic she felt at how little she could do without the Lions of Voltron.

 

She hadn't slept. She'd been working non-stop since the failure of the wormhole, sitting at the computers or sending out her quintessence in a vain effort to find the Lions or conferring with Coran. She kept herself as busy as possible so that she would have no time to think about how helpless she was and how useless all her efforts were; if she paused for a single moment, she would cry again.

 

_[. . .]_

 

Allura stopped dead.

 

"Princess?"

 

"Hush," she whispered, holding up a hand. Coran waited, looking anxious and hopeful.

 

_[. . .]_

 

"...The Lions are calling." Their eyes met. Then Allura burst into a squeal of excitement and relief, and she and Coran practically jumped into each other's arms.

 

"You found them?!"

 

"They're calling me, Coran! They're calling!" She raced back to the computer and reached out eagerly, tracing the link that had long ago been forged between herself and the Lions. She found that it was easiest when she sang. _"So I'm sending out a searchlight...."_

 

o.o.o.o.o

 

 _"...to bring you back to me."_ Lance's fingers went still on the instrument.

 

After a long moment, Hunk hugged him. "We'll find them. We'll all be together again someday."

 

"Hah. Of course! We're the paladins of Voltron! Can't make Voltron without all five Lions together, right?" Lance smiled up at the night sky, refusing to let the tears in his eyes fall.

 

o.o.o

 

Author's Notes: When I found out that Keith's, Shiro's, AND Lance's voice actors are all good singers (probably Allura's and Coran's as well, though it was hard to find confirmation), I started daydreaming about the all characters' VAs singing stuff in Voltron. This fic was one of my daydreams.

 

 **I'm not very knowledgeable about songs with lyrics (most of the music I listen to is instrumental; or, like, Disney songs), so Medli helped me TREMENDOUSLY with finding songs that would match what I was trying to do with this story. She's also the one who linked me to "Lucky" in the first place, which Jeremy Shada (Lance's VA) did a version of. He sounds EXACTLY like Lance in it, not just "the guy who plays Lance," so I fell in love with the song and it partially inspired this fic.** (Ftr, Shada also did a version of Justin Bieber's "Baby," which I thought was hilarious, but he doesn't really sound like Lance there.)

 

 **Anyway, so when I started talking to Medli about this fic, she recced me a whole bunch of songs until we finally hit on the perfect one. (I also ended up using another of her song suggestions at a different point in the story.) I would not have been able to write this fic, or at least not the way I'd envisioned it, without her efforts. Thank you so much again, my dear, your help was invaluable! <3** (Lol, Medli always seems to be helping me write fics for this show, _and_ she's the one whose cute art got me to watch the show in the first place.... XD)

 

** Song credits (in order of appearance) **

**"I Don't Want to Live on the Moon" from _Sesame Street_ (children's TV show) [suggested by Medli]**

**"What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction**

**"Oh, Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison**

**"One Thing" by One Direction**

**(There's also an acoustic version.)**

**"Baby" by Justin Bieber**

**(There's also a version by Jeremy Shada [Lance's VA] floating around.)**

**"Counting Stars" by OneRepublic**

**"Lucky" by Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat**

**(There's also a version by Jeremy Shada & Chloe Peterson.) [suggested by Medli]**

**"Searchlight" by Phillip Phillips [suggested by Medli]**


End file.
